Without any consultation with affected residents, Council has kindly put in 'No Standing' zones in Bourke Street East Sydney during school pickup and drop off times so the SCEGGS 4wd brigade can ferry their kids more conveniently. Ten houses and three businesses have lost their parking. Two carpenters and an electrician now have no way of loading their tools in and out, and say they will have to sell up and move.
In addition, 104 new units are about to hit the market near the corner of Bourke & Wiiiam Sts, only 50% of which have parking spaces. Units built after 1996 are not eligible for resident parking permits and few real estate agents inform prospects of this before making a sale, so you can imagine the mayhem.
Council staff have suggested to affected residents that they simply move their cars four times a day. Residents are really impressed by this bit of practical advice.
The issue also revolves around a school crossing made necessary because the bus stops opposite SCEGGS. It used to stop unofficially in the school driveway, but this would mean the bus enters another zone, costing each kid 40c more per fare. Moving the zone boundary a few metres seems to be just too lateral a concept for our vertical-thinking authorities.
Council staff told residents that the bus stop was there 'because that's where SCEGGS wanted it'.
The closure of St Peters Lane is again an issue. It was gated on a three-month trial basis as part of resident group ESNA and Police attempts to stop so-called 'kerb crawling', and Council was to hold a set of keys. The three months are long-gone and SCEGGS won't surrender the keys, says council, and ESNA is proposing to close even more streets (see story below).
A practical move, say residents, would be to open one end of the lane, making parking spots available to locals.
'We'd rather see a prostitute than a brown bomber,' one local commented, adding that they were seeing an increase in drug use and discarded syringes in the area.
Residents fear the strip will become another backpacker haven if some have to sell up and move.
To voice your complaint call Clover Moore (Lord Mayor) on 9265 9229 or email cmoore@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
5 comments:
As a local resident I never cease to be astonished by what is happening in our community. Just reading your Blog over the last few weeks this is what I see.
Drug dealers and users force the removal of public phones
Banks close to get away from the sleeze
Springfield mall cannot have seating because the drug dealers sit on them
Gates are erected in streets to prevent street prostitution in residential areas
WE HAVE A GOVERNMENT – SO WHY DON’T THEY GOVERN?
WE HAVE POLICE –SO WHY DON’T THEY POLICE?
WE HAVE A LOCAL MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT –DO SOMETHING-NOW!!!!!
It is sadly just a continuation of the neglect which came with the city of Sydney Council in the 1980's and continued with South Sydney Council after them. I note the shrill tone that the Editor does not like Sartor.But at least he did something.
It looks like the present incumbent Lord Mayor is so out of her depth that the city is starting to drown in an ocean of incompetence.
Re the drugs comment above: All these things are symptoms of prohibition, a bankrupt and unjustified opression designed and enforced by the political right. If you don't believe it, do a google on 'Henry Anslinger Prohibition' and explore the lies. It would be funny if it didn't cause so much misery.
Re Frank Sartor -- I don't know the man. He probably makes a good head-kicker as Utilities Minister. But as the cultural architect of the city and particularly Kings Cross he is a total disaster. My problem with Frank is that he continues to wreck my town, and we never elected him or his fall-girl Lucy Turnbull, and we never had any say in the program imposed on us by Bob Carr in the most breathtakingly undemocratic set of boundary changes imaginable under a so-called democracy. If that's shrill, hold on to your fine glassware!
I am one of the residents affected by this madness for two reasons the first as one of two carpenters and a n electrician I can no longer load or unload thousands of dollars worth of tools and machinery when I need to. I ask you which building site will offer a job to a carpenter who only wants to work at his own convient times? Secondly and more importantly my 6 year old son suffers from asthma and has been hospitalized on 3 occasions since February I have had to stop work on more than half a dozen times to give him medication and sit with him at home where he feels at ease. I have two options now: walk or carry him home a kilometer from the school, or take him home by car give him a key to the house then find a parking space before walking back. Both of these of these options I put to the official responsible from the roads and traffic management unit his comment was there were some oversights and we cant help you with parking problems. The oversights were : no community consultations although it was being planned for 3 months, two no survey on the volume of pupils using the crossing. They just forgot how convenient for SCEGGS. Therefore we the residents urge you to drop a line to Clover or give her a call she loves a chat or so I am told.
Last night I was invited to dinner at a home in Glebe. I’ve only ever been there once before. What a lovely area. 2011 residents complain that we don’t want to be a Double Bay or a Paddington. Fine, but if we can be a bit of Glebe then we are heading in the right direction.
It has lovely heritage and a great feeling in its retail area. But then again it has its problems. Since the new council came into office, services have started to drop. Dog shit is appearing all over the place-not cleaned by dog owner or council. The markets are becoming shabby. The residents are starting to complain at the drop in service levels.
I voted for Clover but now I realize I made a terrible mistake . She will be sixty next year and she has no administrative experience or skill. She never owned her own business nor suffered the traumas of failure. Never has to deal with any level of government from a customer level. She does not understand the needs of business and how it compliments the needs of residents. She appears to be anti developer when every thing built is a development.
But what is frightening she heads a party when she had none before. She has become the CEO of a huge corporation when she was never a CEO of anything. She is involved with a massive merger and acquisition when she has never merged and acquired anything.
She was a good independent member who achieved little in parliament but developed a huge following of supporters. She now makes decisions on tree loping and put out press releases about sniffer dogs and searching bags in Moore Park. But that’s all.
I am older than her and I know that her task is formidable ( I could not do it) but I realize that she is now beyond her level of competence.
Fortunately she had the sense to put some experienced people in her party and they will take control . Unfortunately the Lord Mayor is popularly elected and she cannot be rolled by her supporters. It remains a shocking state of affairs. My friends who work in the Sydney Council describe the situation a chaotic and out of control. A number of internal policy decisions have been made regarding staffing and the removal of certain rights. An experienced administrator would have handled it with experience and not as an administrative novice.
Already 2011 residents are being told there are insufficient funds to complete the Darlinghurst Rd upgrade. At the same time Clover is talking about pouring funds into amenities closer to her home. This will help her electoral standing in parliament but not her position as mayor as eventually sooner than later we must have a ward system and she will be chucked.
Bob Carr is wise and knows that she must soon fall on her sword. People close to her are saying that the work load is killing her. Everyone knows you cannot have two full time jobs. Her response that there were overlaps was nothing short of foolish. In three months she has suddenly aged significantly. She has her Rasputin in the Town Hall and he now controls her.
She inherited a massive surplus from experienced professionals who preceded her. Mark my words the council may be broke before too long – but don’t worry she will blame it on the cost of merger or on her predecessors but not on her maladministration.
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